Last flight of ETPS Andover XS606

[billynospares]

Well gents unless something drastically changes the old girl will fly her last sortie tomorrow 31st Aug . :{

[bvcu]

sad to hear, they got their moneys worth out of her ! worked on her early 80's and overseas trip as well .

[FantomZorbin]

Remember supping beer in the 'front office' of said Andover with a tutor from ETPS whilst enjoying life at Greenham Common!!

... I hasten to add that it was on static display at the time :O

[Rocket2]

Thanks for the heads up Billy, any idea what the timings are?
It will be a very sad day as I look out of my office windows (at EGHO), many fond memories of working on & flying across "the pond" & all over Europe in 115 Sqn Andovers. Truely the very best days of my (27 year) service life.
R2

[billynospares]

is going twice last one is something like 1430 launch 1600 land i think

[TCAS FAN]

Obviously MOD have got their money's worth out of the old girl, which museum are they going to donate her to?

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Sorry, getting my wellies now....glf

[eastern wiseguy]

So no more " 'and over on an Andover over Dover over" then?

[Not Long Here]

One of my fondest memories was flying as Nav from Kubinka to Riga then Aalborg and landing back at Boscombe on a Friday in one of the three Andovers, in this case Open Skies. A week later literally, me and the family were on our way to NZ for a new life - but strangely there is a large amount of fondness here in the RNZAF for the capabilities the Andover delivered.

I flew in all three at BD and all presented different role challenges - it was not so much about the airframe and avionics - more what it allowed you the flexibility to do with it.

Mind you the water meth requirements was a great excuse for a night stop in some nice places

[Rory57]

Nice Picture here:

Photos: Hawker Siddeley HS-780 Andover C1 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Hawker-Siddeley-HS-780/1326994/L/&sid=7a4a818b4176c07f32cff4cfc7295c2d)

[Rocket2]

It was a great source of pride to me that at a mere 7 years of age I took a B & W picture of a camoflaged Andover while watching the a/c come & go at Gatwick, tens of years later I was working on that same aircraft (on 115).

606 has just gone down the approach with the Harvard alongside, farewell old girl! :{:{

[Madbob]

NLH

Do you recall a hairy incident / very close call with an Open Skies Andover from Boscombe in about 1991?

A mate of mine from OCTU and BFT (I went METS:() he (KW) went to Valley was caught in horrendous and unforecast icing over Norway in severe IMC and worse, with lots of high mountains all around.:eek::eek:

The accumulation of ice was so bad that not only were the wings carrying inches of ice on the leading edges, the engine intakes too were getting smaller and with it the thrust. The only solution was to find some warmer air by decending which couldn't be done due to the high terrain and so as K**** couldn't maintain height on max continuous (dry) power he had to use T/O power (max chat but without water, as it been used), this and not just a little help from a switched on Norwegian air trafficker :ok: meant that they literally scraped into Bodo.

K**** should have got a Green Endorsement IMHO but instead got a bollicking for trashing two RR Darts - the ac needed a double engine change as the turbines had practically melted.:yuk: Several weeks later he had the job of doing the air test and flying it back!

I never flew Andovers so I don't know what extra thrust you got from water meth, or how long it lasted but I do know that K**** broke all the rules to save the ac.

Anymore Andover stories out there?

MB

[Rocket2]

During our prolonged flight back from Belize on the last such trip (we got delayed at Washington when the 28V power plug was ripped out of the fuselage by the handling agents along with the port u/c door strut!) we got bad icing IIRC somewhere between Iceland & Greenland, similar story as above, lots of (diminishing) power & the Atlantic coming closer by the second. Not sure at what altitude it happend (blinking low though!) there was a series of very audible thumps as the ice departed wings, intakes & every other exposed bits, plus a collective sigh from those of us in the back & a resumption of the never ending game of bridge :D

[Not Long Here]

Madbob,

My time was a lot later - 2003 to 2005. I had spent many years on the Nimrod before I moved to BD and HATS. I must admit that the sheer variety of the flying was wonderful. One week stands out where I spent the mornings doing various types of airdrop from a C-130K. After landing I would walk across to an Andover to fly Millimetric Radar Trials - and then home for tea and biccies!!

Biggest drama I had with XS606 was on an Air Test where the Starboard Overwing Hatch fell out on the take off run.

Those were the days - when flying was fun - and not so long ago either :}

[hurn]

I took this snap as it was doing circuits and approaches at Hurn on Friday morning.

Had no idea it was likely to be the last flight though.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn175/G-NATY/andover2.jpg

[Tester78]

I'm told that the old girl's last trip went largely unmarked beyond the aircrew. An instructional sortie, then shut down and chocks in. A significant proportion of the flight test community worldwide have flown that ac during training, and 44-odd years of service is not bad!

I guess times have changed, and management have little interest in machinery, nor feeling for the history at BDN. Methinks, though, that QQ missed a chance to highlight the fact that they are replacing 606 with something newer...

Au revoir, 606, I enjoyed flying you (even the day you slid off the runway at Duxford when your hydraulics failed...!)

[bvcu]

Recall that sometime in the early eighties 606 ended up inverted with a control cable snagging, took a bit of sorting out ! cant remember who at the time ! also used to love the evac training for the new TP course members , out the side window and using the rope, very entertaining ! think its on the Test Pilot series somewhere.

[NutLoose]

Any idea of its final destination? One hopes it survives in a museum at least..

[Gunfighter27]

Looks as if the poor old girl is going to be scrapped....thats what I was told!
And the VAAC Harrier is going to be sold abroad in tjhe US.
Be nice if they both went to Cosford.

[J31 MAN]

Would be nice if it was to be made part of the 'new' Heritage Centre at Woodford.

[dalek]

First flight on 606 June 29 1970. Thorney Island to Hannover.
Captain Al Brindle. Wonder what happened to him?

[Ron Cake]

Dalek.

I remember Al Brindle when he was on 84 Sqn at Sharjah. Once, when flying a CSE show from Salalah to Masirah in an Andover, he pulled, what I am told, was an old Transport Command jape.

Now CSE show casts were quite impressionable. So Al waited until top of climb when they were all dozing off, then appeared walking backwards from the flight deck unreeling two lengths of lashing tape. He held them like horse reins and, when he got to the back, commenced to 'fly' the aircraft using the 'reins' He did port and starboard turns and climbing turns all to the apparent amazment of the artistes. I don't know whether any of them believed the tapes were connected to the control column, but they remained goggle eyed throughout.

He got a big round of applause on landing.

They were happier times.

[NutLoose]

Why can't they fly it to Bruntingthorpe and donate it to the guys there, so it can hurtle up and down the runway and be looked after.

[friendlypelican 2]

I had the good fortune to go through the OCU with Al Brindle. It would be an understatement to just say that he was one of the RAF 'Characters' and I could fill a thread just with anecdotes about Al (perhaps not all repeatable!). He came to the transport world late in life after a splendid career on Meteors and Hunters, including being one of the '22' in the Black Arrows loop at Farnborough (http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/421527-names-pilots-22-hunter-loop.html).
I believe he retired to the Blackpool area and would now be in his late 80's or even early 90's.
It would be nice to keep 606 in good nick - I first flew her in March '70. but she (like a lot of my later aircraft) probably not deemed 'sexy' enough. Noisy though!

[India Four Two]

Some time in the summer of 2010, I was driving up to Heathrow on the A303 after visiting my mother in Dorset. When I was passing Boscombe Down, I saw a blue, red and white Andover doing a steepish turn onto final from a close-in left base. A pleasure to watch such spirited flying.

Would that have been 606?

[dalek]

Al looked even older than he was.
One of his favourite tricks was to take out his false teeth, board the aircraft with the passengers and sit down.
After a few minutes of inactivity he would say:
"B****r it, if no one else is flying this thing i'll do it myself."
He would hobble to the front of the aircraft and draw the curtains.
Shortly afterwards engines would start and soon they would be airborne.
He would then trim the aircraft slightly nose up and as the flight progressed role the odd empty beer bottle down the cental aisle.
Some passengers saw the funny side, some didn't.

[Mobotu]

Not sure if this is the same C1 Andover - but I heard a company in Kenya had bought one in the UK and was planning to ferry it sometime this month??? Maybe XS646 instead???

[TheChitterneFlyer]

606 will indeed go to Kenya... in a crate!

You chaps might see it fly once more... to be delivered to Bournemouth.

[Noise_Jammer]

Actually it's flying out today. Just taxied.

[billynospares]

That will the trip out to wherever its going. I heard either Africa or Sudan don't know which

[hurn]

Err, actually it's the slightly less tropical climate of Bournemouth. :p

Think it's going in for a respray which is a shame, but glad to hear it'll still eventually be flying somewhere in the world.

[billynospares]

I meant final destination. Although thought it was going to Southend first. Will be interesting to see its new colours

[stevef]

If it's going anywhere near Central Africa, it won't be having a long or happy retirement from Boscombe...

[om15]

Heard her arrive at Bournemouth this morning, not so familiar sound these days, I understand that a French Company is looking for an experienced engineer to look after two Andovers on the Sudanese Register operating in central Africa, if anyone is interested give me a pm and I will pass on the contact details,

br om15

[hunty]

Gents

The guys down at Bournemouth say she going to Kenya.

Hunty :8

[NutLoose]

Says here it's being painted for the UN in Kenya

Andover XS606 - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums (http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=121261)

[LOMCEVAK]

And if they should be looking for a pilot to ferry it out, as one of those operating on yesterday's flight ...........

[Brinsboys]

Hi,
That was mi dad . Very sadly he died on 4 /11/2009 after suffering from being bed bound for nine years. Undercarriage gone but the brain box functioned well until 3months before his departure. Loved his flying and constantly kept in touch via news and mags with what was going on.loved to chat with anyone that would listen about the past .
Would be great to hear any more past thoughts good or ?
I have found some footage when he went to Anguila in 69 standing at back of Andover and then some take offs and landing. Not sure which one he was in as his log book was not always completed with numbers etc.
Better stop as I can go on a bit.
Love to hear more
Regards his eldest
John Brindle

[Dave Sharpe]

To all those who have posted..606 has gone to Nairobi to be operated by Wilken but
646 is still at Boscombe Down apparently awaiting the aircrafts paperwork--:ugh:

[Dave Sharpe]

Hi---can anybody help--646 is currently still in the Uk -there is a slim chance the Wilken deal may go a bit muddy-if it does I have the backing to keep 646 in the Uk--but I will need some (lots!!) help---would anybody have a copy of the performance and limitations of the andover - I will cover all costs--and would there be a release to service document for the andover ----Please PM or a straight e mail to [email protected]...:ugh:

[billynospares]

646 is far from serviceable and will shortly be reduced to spares for 606

[Dave Sharpe]

Thanx to everybody who has tried to help--and to a few people who copied this across to other web sites! as a result I have a got a very good full set of operating documents thanx to one Pilot--and a copy of AP101b-0301-1b from another source...but would anybody have a copy of the 0301-1c/1D/1E/1F/1G---:ok:

[bpilot52]

I spent a few years on Andovers on 2 squadrons and flew XS606 frequently on 52 Squadron. Looking at my logbook it appears on some of my 'more interesting' flights including lightening strikes (the radar kept breaking) - one in particular - in paratroop config, the ground-crew we were carrying in support of a Javelin detachment reported a huge ball lightening rolling through the cabin over the spares lashed to the floor. Fortunately it didn't seem to have much effect on the Avpin needed to start the Javelins. :eek:

[bpilot52]

yes. Picked up a couple from Woodford when we were waiting to fly them to Seletar. in pre-history

[Stratofreighter]

XS606 flew her last ever flight I'm afraid...
ASN Aircraft accident Hawker Siddeley HS-780 Andover C.1 TL-AEW Malakal Airport (MAK) (http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20151110-0) .

[bpilot52]

sad - and maybe a bit careless? :hmm: - but glad the crew got out.
Seems the only relic of my my favorite aircraft type is the static RAF museum exhibit at Cosford. I sat in it several months ago and didn't recognise anything - maybe because it has been so modified for the avionics role.